A Beguiling Ruse

chapter 5

Flashbacks:

A young girl of about 13 years  came running inside the house, eager  to show her parents the result of her performance in  junior waec(exams written for the entrance of  senior secondary school)
She stopped dead on her track, confused as to why she saw tons of people in the house,nevertheless she continued her journey inside the house . She saw some of her mom and dad's relatives, some were throwing her pitiful looks while some just stared blankly. She continued into the living room anyway, her heart  accelerating  because of the anxiety that engulfed her from the moment she stepped in the house. As she step into the living room, upon sighting her, everyone became dead silent. 
confused...? obviously
Soon some began to weep and while others chanted supplications.
She went straight to an elderly woman that she saw, who sat at one edge of the room, and asked her what was happening and inquired about her mom's whereabouts.
"Yata mamanki tana dakin can(ur mom is in that room)" she pointed to the room near the stairs.
She was confused and more curious now as to why she chose to answer the second question avoiding the first  one.
She wondered but shrugged it off.
There,she slowly turned the door knob and entered the room taking slow steps.
Her eyes landed on her miserable mom and  before she could react, it fell in her ears, a woman saying "Allah yaji kan mahbub yasa ya huta"
It took her a moment before she got to digest the information.
Was she talking abt some other mahbub or her father?
thinking abt her father's demise which was most definitely impossible was seeming to prove that she had gone insane

"Ibti habeebty d..on't worry....i..i am..here for u....ur.ammi is with uh" her mom clinched onto her hiccuping while she stood there motionless.
She put two and two together and that's when her brain,mind nd heart finally accepted the reality
Her abii is gone for real...
*Allah ya ji kan mahbub yasa ya huta*

Her words echoed in her ears as she closed them with her hand and shout  "she's lying, he's not dead, my dad can't be"
With all the shaking her mom was doing to her, she didn't bulged.
Nothing mattered to her now as she can't get to accept the fact that her dad is no longer with them in the world
Her head starts spinning nd her vision became blurry before everything black out.

End of flashback

****************
"

NOOO!!" I woke up terrified by the nightmare i had which is like the replica of the incidence that happened years back.
I quickly chanted some dua's nd prayed for my dad
"Are you alright? How are you feeling? U scared me" kausar who just came out from the bathroom  inquired worriedly at the verge of breaking down.
Ohh uhkti♡
"Am fine kausar, calm down ok, just feeling a lil bit under the weather....but im fine now" i tried to calm her down. She sighed loudly as we hug each other enjoying each others comfort.
"lemme get ammie nd mama, they were all worried abt u" she said as she stood up. I quickly stopped her
"Don't! I will go to their place, let them be"
"But..." kausar started but i cut her off saying
"No buts okay, im going" i tried to stand up but seems like my body choose not to respond ,ohkay. OMA am too weak........i guess
"I told u to stay but u paid heedless koh, i wonder where u get this stubbornness. Doctor said u should have alot of rest, so.....kindly sit and be at our service" she slightly bowed making me smile, she's such a strong girl. She walked out nd after a minute i heard a taslim i answered nd my mom nd aunt entered with kausar behind them, all the faces i saw display worry. i smiled at them in the gesture of 'im okay now'. they all sighed and mumble Alhamdulillah
Ammie came nd sat beside me
"How u feeling dear, u jst fainted after knowing what happened, u scared us!"mama asked tiredly
"Im fine mama...relax"
"See u we're here worried abt u nd u telling us to relax....." ammie slightly slapped me on my arm and i yelped dramatically
"Next time don't scare us like this" she said as she embraced me
"Insha Allah ammie" i said. feeling her warmth only makes me feel safe nd loved. Oh how much i love her. My first love.
Kausar cracked her voice opening her arms to join the hug nd ammie quickly embrace her
"I feel like an outsider here" mama said as we open wide for a group hug. Everyone with her own thoughts.
🌿
We were all seated the next day with people trooping in and out for condolence. Almost all the people went back to their various houses, that remains few of mama's relative nd we.
The fact that our fathers relative doesn't have an ounce of care for us is really surprising nd pathetic. Comparing the life when our fathers are alive and now; when they are late, the fact amaze me. The love nd affection they showed us is all phoney. All is just a facade. my father has five siblings including kausar's dad and mine, but now their existence and nonexistence is the same. The three of them nd their family are birds of thesame feather, they flock together. They were not even fazed by the death, doing their things with no single care in the world. Thank God our moms are rich enough to last us a lifetime.
If not, only God will see us through.